Genisys
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: Skye knows what it's like to keep secret, to lead a double-life; she doesn't like it, but she does it when it's necessary. She lives the lie, to protect the truth. Until someone threatens to destroy that truth she so zealously protects… nothing and no one will be able to stop her then. She will keep her family safe. (Post CW) (Not AoS S3 Canon Compliant) (Team Iron Man)
1. Part 1

So... I've been saying I'll do this and just don't. Here it is! I'm finally letting out all my feels concerning the freaking Civil War! Just to make things clear straight out. I'm Team Iron Man all the way! Yes, I know that, ever so slowly it's being shown that the Accords are not a good thing, people are abusing it, innocent are dying, CA is right... again. Well, maybe, that doesn't mean Tony is wrong though. The Accords may not be perfect, may not be what was really necessary. The heroes still need accountability, civilians still deserve to feel (relatively) safe in their own homes. To believe their lives matter. And if Rogers had had the mind and the empathy to consider that, things would never have gotten as badly as they did.

Like I said, this is my way of venting. Because I just know that Infinity War will not give us the closure we deserve. CA will be the hero all over again, and somehow Tony turns out to be the villain. That's not right. So, here goes!

Also, because Skye is absolutely awesome and I really, really wanted a fic where she got to be the one to put the so-called Avengers in their place. Also, it was an excuse to write more Skyeward, which I absolutely love. The IronTaser... it's the first time I write it, but I do love it too. Hope you like it.

WARNING: The story technically begins at the end of CW, which is almost the end of S3 of AoS. However, because certain things have happened. Quite a few things are not like in canon. Most of S1 and S2 in AoS is canon compliant, except for things that will became quite obvious very fast. Only the very basics of S3 ever happened.

P.S. Second part is coming next week!

* * *

Genisys

 _By: Lalaith Quetzalli_

 _Skye knows what it's like to keep secret, to lead a double-life; she doesn't like it, but she does it when it's necessary. She lives the lie, to protect the truth. Until someone threatens to destroy that truth she so zealously protects… nothing and no one will be able to stop her then. She will keep her family safe._

 **Part 1**

Things seemed so good just this morning. Not perfect, of course not, but then nothing in our lives can ever be considered truly perfect. That's alright though, we have our lives and we've managed to take yet another bastard down in protection of the world, every day that goes like that is a good day in my book.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Growing up, I didn't dream of being a superhero, or a soldier, or an agent… I wasn't the kind of kid that would play at being Captain America, or even Agent Peggy Carter. I was just… me. All I ever really dreamed about was finding myself and, perhaps, if I was very lucky, finding myself in the process. Didn't quite turn out the way I planned. But that's alright, I've discovered that life not being what you expected, planned or even dreamed of isn't necessary a bad thing… sometimes it can even be better.

Like in this moment, Sitting in a room in one of the Playground's sub-levels. It's my domain and mine only. Aside from AC no one can enter unless I allow them to. It's my workplace as well as my sanctuary. Most people will not go in, even if I'd let them, apparently the decoration tends to drive them crazy… decoration being the two walls covered in monitors: one devoted to SHIELD facilities around the world, the other cycling through camera feeds and satellite feeds we've access to, all around the world. The third wall, the one where my work station actually is, has a giant screen I can transfer the feed from any of the others to, if I ever need it. I also have three screens connected to my work-computer: one where JOCASTA, my AI is always running, the other two for whatever I may be working on at the moment. Aside from that there's the laptop I work on when I'm out of my domain, and the tablet which I carry everywhere though I only really use it to supervise long hacks, and in case something comes up and I have no time to either get to my station or even get my laptop (and on missions, where it's easier to use the tablet than a laptop). All of it is top-of-the-line tech, the kind that isn't available on the market, not even Stark Tech… then again, it might be, in a few years.

Life has been good to us lately, so much a part of me is already bracing for whatever disaster is probably going to fall into our laps any time soon. Ever since the last of HYDRA fell, we've all been holding our breaths one way or another. It's not like we didn't think we'd won before, and turned out to be wrong. Of course, considering who was on the ground for things this time, I know no one could have done a better job. Much as some of the others might not like it, might not like him just yet.

There's just one thought that still worries me. Are we SHIELD still? Is there even a SHIELD anymore? With the president refusing to sanction the agency, and the mess that the Sokovia Accords seem to be turning into. I know not everyone agrees with them, and I also realize that even if I'm willing to sign myself, that doesn't mean others should be forced into it, I may be an Agent of SHIELD, and a Secret Warrior, but I also feel responsible for my fellow inhumans, many of them had no interest in fighting, all they want is to have normal, peaceful lives, and they have a right to that. I wish I could give them the safety and security they crave but I cannot; all I can do for now is be their voice, try as hard as I can to make sure that the Accords will not turn into nightmare some fear they will be, that we will not become prey to those who may not understand us, might fear and possibly even hate us. Also, the mess Captain America is creating in Europe is so not helping!

JOCASTA has kept me aware of every new development. (I might even have some footage I really shouldn't… I'm keeping it, just in case). The fight in that German airport… I know it's going to cause us way too much trouble. I'm also worried about Col. Rhodes, even hacking into the hospital's systems has given me nothing except that he was transferred to the best hospital in NY while still inside the suit (as some believed it might be bracing him, preventing his spine from snapping completely), there he underwent surgery, was still in that. I put an alert so I'll know the moment he's out.

The part that worries me the most though, is that Tony appears to have gone missing. I got an alert when he headed to the Raft to see the Avengers who were arrested, and to argue about the illegality of Secretary Ross's actions on that front. He left the Raft soon enough, and then he went completely off radar!

The Raft is a problem, we all know that. According to the plan I was supposed to step into the spotlight as an Inhuman and the leader of a group of superheroes. The first thing we were going to publicly oppose was that prison. It was even more nightmare inducing than Guantanamo! I was willing to put myself out there in order to fight for my people's safety, and for every gifted. Of course, the Vienna bombing, followed by Captain America going completely off the rails was so not in our plans. It's made it so I no longer know what I'm supposed to do. The way Ross has taken control of things, abusing his authority, it's not good. We always knew he'd try, and there were measures in place to handle it, handle him; but no one is going to take our side when even Captain-Bloody-America is giving them reason to fear us! It's bad enough when bad things happen, when we cause bad things to happen accidentally, like me in Puerto Rico, and Scarlet Witch in Lagos… but what he's doing, he's doing it on purpose. He's killed people! How is the world supposed to see us as the good guys when he goes and does something like that!

Yes, what Ross is doing is criminal, but that's on Ross, not on the Accords. Rogers isn't helping us, he's just making things worse! And I'm beginning to really worry that something might have happened to Tony…

JOCASTA's alarm, what I call her cybernetic cry doesn't make things any better; in fact, it makes them worse.

"Tell me!" I yell, turning my whole attention to her screen.

"FRIDAY says the Maker is in danger." JOCASTA's voice, usually so solemn and full of poise (and with a bit of a Scottish accent) sounded very off in that moment. "He… something's happened to his suit. There's no power. FRIDAY cannot get in contact with him..."

JOCASTA is still talking but I'm not paying attention anymore.

"There's an emergency." I call into one of the private frequencies on my comm. "We need a quinjet and we need to be off five minutes ago. I'll explain when we're on the air."

He doesn't question, says nothing except an affirmation and I know he'll have everything ready by the time I get there.

I briefly considered going on my own, or perhaps only with one or two of them, but according to what JOCASTA is showing on her screen, Tony's last location in a former-HYDRA bunker in Syberia, and he went there seeking to help Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes deal with a potential threat: five more Winter Soldiers. There's no confirmation of what exactly he found there, and I don't like the options. Either the soldiers were awakened and there's a battle going on, three men against five super-soldiers; the battle is finished, and the wrong people won (or the right people won, but not without casualties) or… I don't even want to keep thinking in possible worst case scenarios, there's too much I don't know, too many variables I don't have. I cannot really make a plan without those, but neither can I wait for the information to be available. It may already be too late by then.

I arrange for AC to get a report of what I'm doing, it'll be delayed just long enough to be sure he will not try to talk me out of it. Or join me… either wouldn't be a good option, not right now. Not with Talbot dropping by whenever the mood strikes him. He's already being a pain in the ass regarding my Secret Warriors, we don't need to give him more reason to make life hard for us. I know what I risk going off myself, as does he, and we're willing to risk it.

I don't even stop when I reach the hangar, going straight into the first quinjet, with the open bay. I know a few people aren't going to like what I'm doing, but I'm technically on my right. I even submitted a report to the Director, so I'm not doing anything illegal, technically. It's one of the perks of being Deputy-Director of SHIELD… even if most of the world doesn't know it.

He's sitting behind the controls of the quinjet and gets us off the ground the moment I finish buckling up.

"So…?" He asks eventually. "Where to?"

"Siberia." I answer simply.

"What's the situation?" He knows for the moment it's all professional, the moment will come to talk more personally.

"Following the confrontation in the German Airport earlier today, that ended with the arrest of most of the rebellious Avengers, and the disappearance of Captain Rogers and the Winter Soldier, Tony Stark went to see his former teammates at Ross's prison, called the Raft. He left minutes later and was supposed to be en-route to Germany, except he didn't go there. Instead he went into stealth mode and flew to Siberia, to meet with Rogers and Barnes, supposedly to help deal with a threat to the world, in the form of five more Winter Soldiers." She summarized. "According to JOCASTA, something happened to Tony's suit, FRIDAY lost contact with him less than thirty minutes ago, and she didn't receive any input over the last hour, so we don't really know what happened to him exactly. Other than it's bad."

"We'll get to Siberia in five hours, might get it down to four if I really push it." He announces as he makes arrangements.

"Push it." I know he's already expecting me to say that, and preparing accordingly. "I have a very bad feeling about this."

"As the boss says." He drawls, chuckling when I slap him in the arm.

"Grant!" I cannot help it, I'm laughing.

Many people don't understand. How we can be friends, and more than that even. After everything he did to us: being HYDRA, my abduction, dropping FitzSimmons into the ocean. Most don't understand. Even Jemma and Leo, who've managed to forgive him completely, they don't fully understand. And that's okay, we knew it wouldn't be easy, but that doesn't change the fact that I love him, as he does me, and we always will.

 _At first I was angry, so very angry. I spat and hissed at him, insulting him in every way I could think of. Not just during my brief abduction, but also afterwards. Once we got to the Playground. Ward had made it very clear that he'd only answer questions made by me, and I agreed to do it, though that didn't stop me from treating him as badly as I could get away with. Until the day I told him the world would be a better place without him in it. And he tried to kill himself._

 _I was so shocked by that. As I watched Trip and (unwillingly) Simmons work on saving his life. I didn't realize the exact moment I began whispering, but when I did, the exact words shocked me:_

" _Don't die, don't die, please don't die..."_

 _The biggest surprise was that it wasn't my guilt talking, no, I genuinely wanted him to leave._

 _The first time I walked back into Vault D after that day I was hesitant, had no idea what to say at all. Ward just looked at me:_

" _Why save me?" He asked. "You want me dead, so why?"_

 _For the first time I noticed the sadness, the hopelessness in his voice. Like a man who was already more dead than alive._

" _I don't want you dead." I admitted after what seemed like forever. "I'm sorry I..." I wasn't sure what made me be sincere with him, but it just felt right. "I'm afraid, so terribly afraid, all the time. And I hate it. When I come here, with you, it's easy to pretend I'm angry rather than scared. To almost convince myself that I do the things I do out of my own choice, and that I know what I'm doing."_

" _You know it's okay to be afraid, right?"_

" _Not when so much depends on us."_

" _I'm still here. I know you cannot trust me now Skye. But I'm still here. I've done bad, terrible things, I know. And I know nothing I ever say or do can possibly change the past. But if you believe nothing else, believe this, I will always be here for you."_

 _After that I began going to Vault D more often, and not always to 'interrogate' him. Sometimes just to chat, or even just to sit there, working on my laptop, or doing nothing at all. Nobody but AC knew about it, not even May, and he said nothing._

 _I didn't plan on bringing the matter of FitzSimmons up, and certainly didn't expect what he had to say about it:_

" _It was the only way to save them!" He yelled that day. "Garrett, Peterson, they'd have killed them on the spot. And expected me to do the same. Getting them away, it was all I could do to give them a chance."_

" _They almost drowned…" I hissed, unable to help myself._

 _It was so terrible, seeing Fitz as he was in that moment, and the way Simmons kept trying so hard to help him, unable to help herself meanwhile._

" _It was supposed to float!" Ward practically screamed. "It was an emergency medical module! I read through every piece of paperwork on the thing when I joined the team, to plan for any possible emergency. The altitude was still low enough, and there was good weather, the thing was supposed to float!"_

 _That was what made FitzSimmons forgive him, eventually._

 _What I didn't expect, was when AC decided to Grant over to his brother: Senator Christian Ward. The same bastard who had bullied and abused Grant as a child, who'd almost killed his youngest brother: Thomas. Who was, in many ways, the main reason Grant had had such a shitty life. I made my choice before I fully realized I was doing it._

 _I waited until Phil had turned his attention away. Dressed fully in black, face-mask in place, I slipped behind Grant, using morse code to tap the message against his back: "5 men – 3 back – 2 front – all armed". Then I slipped a piece of paper into the back-pocket of his pants, making sure he felt me putting it in._

 _Two hours later we got the news of the escape, I made sure to turn and leave immediately, letting them believe I was angry at the escape, and making sure they didn't seem me, didn't have a reason to suspect I'd had anything to do with it._

 _Got a call from Grant three days later:_

" _How do you know Tony Stark?!" He demanded with a mix of disbelief and almost-anger. "And what's more important: how did I not know that?"_

" _There's a lot about me you don't know Grant." I revealed, softly. "Who knows? I might tell you my story one day."_

" _I'd like that." He made a pause before adding. "Thank you Skye..."_

 _I didn't reply, thankfully he wasn't expecting me to. He must have known how hard it must have been for me to do it, and still I had._

" _Also, hell of a code." He added. "Genisys is Skynet, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I remember the stupid movie you made me watch, but why choose that exact phrase as a confirmation code?"_

 _I laughed, not really answering. We had to cut our conversation short anyway, so as not to run the risk of someone tapping in, while they wouldn't be able to track him, it was better if we didn't took any unnecessary risks. So I just promised to stay safe and made him promise the same, and that we'd be in touch, then I hung up._

Even in the present, I'm not sure Grant fully understands what's so important about that phrase. The way it connects to Tony and I… maybe one day I'll tell him that story.

The ringing of the quinjet comm interrupts my thoughts and, after a moment's hesitation, I flip the switch to answer it. I know who will be on the other end of the line and can only curse, he got to the message faster than I expected.

"Johnson!" We both hear AC's yell through the headsets.

I wince, he only uses that surname either when we're doing something very formal in a public setting, or when he's angry.

"You didn't even tell him?!" My pilot asks in complete disbelief.

"At least you had the good sense to take him." Phil snaps grumpily, though his mood makes a serious 180 just a moment later. "Skye..."

Just like only calls me Johnson when he's angry, he only calls me by my old-name (which has become more of a nickname since I legally became Daisy Johnson) when he's being emotional, or deep, or both.

"I'll make sure he's alright." I assure AC wholeheartedly. "I promise you AC."

"I believe you." He lets out a sigh. "I'll make sure to keep Talbot off your backs just… stay safe, both of you and… and bring Tony back."

We can both hear the 'please' even without him saying it.

"We will." We answer in unison.

The trip to Siberia will be somewhat long, so I decide to take a nap, trusting Grant will wake me up when we get there, or if there's some kind of emergency (I am also relatively confident that if he so much as tenses at a something I'll become aware of it, even asleep, and wake up… I'm that in tune with him and his vibrations).

As I get comfortable for my nap I cannot help but look back at the way things have changed, for Grant, for me, for all of us…

" _Why did you do it?"_

 _I always knew that, sooner or later AC would find out about my connection to Grant's escape. We managed to keep that, and our somewhat regular phone-calls a secret longer than I, than either of us ever expected. Even when we met, once, in secret, after my terrigenesis (before the team found out and became hyper-vigilant around me); it was until Gordon took me from the Retreat and AC and Fitz sought Ward out to get his help with finding him (according to AC, they found him too easily, as if he'd just been waiting for a signal). We still didn't get the chance to talk about it until after the mess in Afterlife was over. Agent Palamas was gone, deciding she was no longer interested in being an agent; I even arranged everything for a new identity for her, she was Karen Teresa Wilson (the surname was in fact Grant's gram's surname, she was using it with his permission, the two considered each other siblings… I am really happy that Grant has someone like her on his corner, even if they're so far apart). So, with Kara gone, Grant was inside a locked office (AC had, surprisingly at the time, decided not to lock him up again) waiting on the Director to decide his fate. I couldn't understand why AC insisted on talking to me before doing anything, and then he said that._

" _You know what I could never understand?" I asked him softly. "Why a man who's usually so keen on second chances, who gave me an opportunity even when I betrayed him and the team, wouldn't give Grant his?"_

" _It's not the same thing Skye." He shook his head._

" _No, it's not. He betrayed you for a man he considered his savior, the only real family he'd ever had. I betrayed you all for a guy I slept with twice, who meant nothing for me at all! At least his choice can be understood."_

" _His choice got people killed!"_

" _So did mine! Chan Ho Yin died! And all those working on him. And what about what happened in San Juan? My choices have gotten people killed too, so why do I get a second chance and not him? Why is he any less worthy than I am?"_

 _AC didn't reply to that, though his choice to release Grant just an hour later was telling enough. For months things went mostly to what they'd been like in the past year, except that the team knew that the two of us kept in contact, and whenever Grant had a tip he wanted me to pass on, I did so directly, without having to make-up a false origin and trail. Then we discovered that HYDRA wasn't quite gone just yet._

 _When AC first suggested that Grant go deep undercover and bring down what was left of HYDRA from the inside I first thought he was taking the whole 'redemption shtick' too far. Never actually believed he was just trying to get rid of him, it really wasn't his style. Grant, unsurprisingly, immediately agreed._

 _It all eventually came down to a showdown where he, Fitz and Simmons almost got killed, and the breaking of a terrigen crystal, one of the few that hadn't dissolved into the sea (causing us a lot of trouble with an Inhuman outbreak, but at least no deaths) and weren't secured inside a top secret Vault (the kind only AC and I, using our biometrics in sync could access). It would have killed FitzSimmons, if Grant hadn't shielded them with his own body. Taking the mist straight on. It didn't kill him… as it happened, he was inhuman himself._

 _It wasn't so bad, his training helped Grant a lot, as did the other inhumans with us. Soon enough Grant had taken the codename Hellfire, and he was second in command of my Secret Warriors (Lincoln, codenamed Shock, used to have that position, but he was happy enough sticking to the background and serving as our medic). Alisha (Replica), Elena (Yo-Yo) and Joey (Mason) were the other members of the team._

I manage to sleep most of the flight, waking up just as Grant begins the descent.

"You picking up on anything from here?" He asks as we head to the bay doors.

We are wearing our tactical clothes, and like those the rest of my Warriors wear, they're tailor made for us, not just so they fit us like a glove, but made of materials that protect us best, while allowing us to use our abilities to our full potential. Which means Grant's was completely fire-proof, Lincoln's made of something similar enough to rubber to avoid any backlash from his energy; mine includes gauntlets of a special alloy that help better direct my powers, and absorbs the excess so I won't injure myself, as has happened in the past; Joey's has nothing vital made of metal, but does have a lot of things put into it, so in case of an emergency he can pull on some of that metal and use it; Elena's and Alisha's are made of tough material that can bend easily but still be protective.

I close my eyes, diving into my gift, picking up on every single vibration around me. It takes me a little while to be able to separate the kind of vibrations that signal inanimate things (like stones, the earth, buildings, etc.), animals, plants, and finally people.

"There's only one person here…" I begin, only catching up with what that means exactly after the words are out of my mouth. "Tony!"

Grant is right behind me as I run straight into the dark facility. The suits are made of the kind of material that keeps us warm without the need for heavy jackets. He pulls out an emergency flash-light, but I don't really need it, guiding myself through the darkened halls by the vibrations alone. I sense him before I actually see him.

"TONY!"

The moment I lay eyes on him, I cannot help the deja vú. Not for him directly but… I can still remember seeing AC after the battle in the Iliad. I was hurting so much, not just physically, but at the fact that my own mother just tried to kill me, and then I saw AC, with a torn shirt tied tight against his arm… and he was missing a hand. The pain (not just his physical pain, but my own emotional one at seeing him like that, missing a limb and with a look of such loss in his eyes), it hit me so hard I lost my footing.

"Tony!" I cry out again. "Hold on, we're getting you out of here."

The suit isn't working, and it's clear to us both the why (the hole in the suit and the broken arc reactor are pretty big clues). Tony is unconscious and his skin is pale, his lips beginning to turn blue. I'm extremely worried about him, but much as I might want to get him out of that metal death-trap, I still remember Col. Rhodes, so instead I get Grant to help me carry him back to the quinjet as fast as we can.

"Where now?" He asks me once we're ready to go.

"New York." I decide immediately. "Tony will never forgive us if we take him to any hospital. I'll get in touch with Pepper, make sure they're as ready as they can be for him."

"Ok." Grant nods immediately. "Get ready. Wheels up in three."

I make sure the Iron Man suit is secure before sitting on the closest seat and strapping in. As I wait there I can only look at the unconscious Tony, wondering just how long he'd have stayed in that bunker if we hadn't arrived? Would he have been alive by the time anyone found him? Would he have been found at all? I'm so afraid of the possible answers I don't really want to think about them.

My history with Tony Stark is complicated. I'm quite aware that when I was younger people would look at me, at the way I talked about heroes, and especially Tony Stark, and think I was nothing more than a fangirl, a 'sweaty cosplay girl' as Grant called me once. But most people wouldn't be able to conceive the fact that I know Tony, have known him for a long time.

 _Tony and I first met (kind of, considering that it wasn't in person, not then and not for a few years) when I was nineteen (I was actually twenty, but didn't know that at the time). I had been part of the Rising Tide for a few months, since Miles pulled me in. I knew he didn't expect much from me, I was good with a computer and a decent (if still new) hacker, and they wanted many people. I didn't like that he saw me as nothing more than a filler, and someone he could bed whenever he wanted (there was a reason I did not have sex with him again after the second time); so I decided I needed to do something, hack someone or something important._

 _There was a rumor among the Tide members that Stark had sold the explosives responsible for the car-bomb that had blown half a market in some Middle-Eastern country, leaving more than a dozen dead, children among those. Stane and Stark had both officially denied any and all involvement, but in some circles the rumors persisted. I decided to be the one to find proof, one way or another, once and for all._

 _Hacking Stark was easier said that done, but I'd been expecting that already (if it were easy anyone would have done it… also, if it were easy, it wouldn't be fun!). I managed to get further than anyone in history (that much I was told), and then I came across something I wasn't expecting. Almost like a person, except it, he, was entirely made of code. It was how I met JARVIS for the first time._

 _Even after my first failure I did not give up. I kept trying, kept meeting JARVIS. The first two times I 'ran' as soon as I came across him. But by the third I'd become intrigued, and was also fairly confident that there wasn't some men in black waiting to make me disappear if I stayed online too long. So I began chatting with him. Every so often making the attempt to get past him. By the sixth time my attempts weren't serious anymore; also, I'd realized that JARVIS wasn't a person blocking me, but an actual hones-to-god AI. It went beyond anything I ever imagined possible. I also realized that I could have hacked him, might have even succeeded; but it just didn't seem right. JARVIS was… he might not have been a person by the usual definition of the word, but he was real enough, and I couldn't do that to him. So instead I just told him why I did the things I did, wished him luck, thanked him for all our chats, and retreated._

 _The next day there was an e-mail in my account, from one I'd never before seen. It was a message directly from Tony Stark, thanking me for my respect for JARVIS and asking if I'd interested in working for him… I thought he was insane, or maybe I was._

 _I never did take him up on his offer for a job, but I didn't regret it. Back then I was still young, an idealist, believing that the Rising Tide was somehow going to change the world. While I didn't take the job, Tony (he'd gone from Stark to Tony at some point, though I didn't really realize when it happened exactly) managed to goad me into trying to infiltrate several of his properties, as well as the SI mainframe several times. I never managed to get into his homes, but I did get into the SI mainframe once. My reward? A custom-built laptop, the very best (though most people who looked at it would think I'd gotten it out of a trashcan or something). He made sure to leave nothing that might indicate he'd built it, nothing to call attention to it, to lessen the chances that it would be stolen for me. It also had enough security to guarantee no one would ever be able to hack with it, but me. It was amazing (I also loved making the joke about hacking things with a laptop won on a bet, knowing no one would ever be able to imagine what the laptop could do, and why exactly)._

 _It was JARVIS who informed me, on February of 2009, when Tony went missing in Afghanistan. I was absolutely distraught, wanting to help yet having no idea what to do. I hacked everything and everyone I could think of. Using most of the tricks Tony had taught me during the months we'd known each other, and even some of the dirty tricks I'd learned with the Rising Tide. Almost accidentally I came across a few things on the under-the-table deals I'd been looking up before. I was no longer interested on that, sure that if such a thing was going on, Tony couldn't know. So I just passed it on to a contact of mine in the press, hoping she would be able to do something with it, while I instead focus on doing my best to try and find something about Tony._

 _It was then that I met Rhodes, though, again, not in person. The first couple of times I got tips, I sent them to JARVIS, but eventually he got me in touch with the Colonel, believing I could be of more help then. I was afraid of a military man knowing what I was capable of, even if he didn't know my true name (even if I technically didn't exist by that point, my truest test as a 'real hacker' had been to erase every single thing about Mary Sue Poots, the name I'd had in St. Agnes, I wasn't that person anymore, had never really been her; legally speaking, I didn't exist anymore); in the end he chose, to trust me, for whatever the reason._

 _It was about that time that I realized Tony wasn't just an acquaintance anymore, he was a friend, and a very dear one too. Miles didn't like me spending so much time on 'personal projects'; he wanted me to use my hacking skills on what he chose. It was also then that I realized he would never be the kind of man I wanted in my life, and that I was nothing more than a tool and a good lay for him. So I packed my bag, got in my used-van (I'd bought it second hand, looked quite beat-up on the outside but worked great, which meant no one was really interested in stealing it, but still gave me no trouble)._

 _In the end I didn't have much to do with finding Tony. Also, during my last hacking I apparently hit someone who decided they didn't like it, and suddenly I was pretty much running for my life. Which was why, when Tony was finally there, I wasn't around, of for the mess that followed. I finally managed to get my pursuers arrested and made my way to Malibu a couple of days after Iron Man's big reveal._

" _You're insane, you know?" I commented, as I walked right into his workshop. "I mean, yeah, I knew that already. But I knew you were insane in the I-make-things-go-boom way… though, I suppose, you're still doing that..."_

" _How did you get in?"_

 _It was until that moment that I noticed he wasn't alone. His driver/bodyguard, Mr. Happy Hogan was there, and looking at me oddly, probably wondering if I was Tony's latest lay… the mere thought made me shudder inside._

" _Jarv let me in." I answered simply with a bright smile._

" _There's only one person who calls JARVIS that..." Tony began, then his smile got wicked. "Skye! My favorite gal!"_

" _Hey..." I couldn't help but turn shy, no one, ever, had looked so happy to see me, it made something inside me hurt, even as it healed the same hurt, all at the same time. "So… you're a superhero now?"_

" _Not at all." He answered, dead serious. "I'm just making sure people no longer used my inventions to hurt others."_

 _Tony really wasn't the kind to call himself a hero, no matter what he did, I learned that in due time. Even when he deserved it, he kept believing that whatever good he might do would never outdo the bad he'd done (if only ever indirectly). He tried to convince me to stay, but I just wasn't ready. After leaving Miles I just had grown used to going here and there, I'd begun to like it. Also, while he probably wouldn't have opposed my hacking, might have even helped me, I liked the satisfaction I got from doing things on my own._

 _So I left Malibu soon enough, though I kept in touch. When Tony began behaving erratically again a little over six months later I had no idea what was going on. Was planning on going to Malibu to see him in person when the whole world seemed to go nuts around me. I'd been in Virginia, planning to meet with a contact, one of the best hackers in the world, the only one who'd ever refused to join the Rising Tide. The meeting was to take place in Culver University (I suspected my hacker-friend might be either a student or a professor there). And then there was suddenly a huge green… thing, and military blowing up shit!_

 _I took off immediately, deciding I wasn't going to stay for anyone, not even for the presumed Queen of Hackers! Couldn't really go south, as I'd heard more than a few rumors that something was going on in New Mexico; so instead I made my way north. And then the same green creature along with another darker, much more violent one destroyed half of Harlem! It's not like I was anywhere near that, but still. I had no idea where to go at all._

 _I spent nearly a week being absolutely petrified, when I got a message from JARVIS. Tony was looking for me. I'd missed several calls and he was worrying I might have been in the middle of one the recent messes. He went as far as sending his private plane for me when I told him where I was exactly. Soon enough I was en-route to California again._

 _When I got to Stark mansion, Tony again wasn't alone. Thought it wasn't, as I was expecting, Miss Potts with him (she was apparently very busy taking control of SI). No, it was a man in a dark-gray suit and tie, looking so completely innocuous, like nothing more than a paper-pusher; I knew, at my core, that he was more. And it wasn't just the way he looked at me, like trying to learn everything about me through a single look; there was just something in the way his stood, walked, talk, in his very aura, that screamed at me that he was a lot more than he seemed. That was the first time I saw Phil Coulson._

Once again Grant beginning our descent snaps me out of my memories. We're about to land at the Avengers Compound in Northern New York. There's people waiting for us, just as planned. I have no doubt that if AC isn't there already he'll arrive soon, I sent him a message as soon as we had Tony and told him exactly where we were going.

Thankfully, the quinjet is well-equipped. While we don't exactly have an infirmary, and we could not do much even with our well-equipped first-aid kit. We have a foldable stretcher, made of a material that can handle even the Iron Man suit. Vision joins us and between him and Grant (who didn't just gain control over fire, but also a healing-factor, endurance and strength through his terrigenesis) they can carry Iron Man out, with me walking fast at their side.

Miss Potts (soon to be Mrs. Hogan), Happy, Col. Rhodes and Dr. Cho are all waiting for us at the entrance to the facility. I can also sense two, maybe three more people hanging back, probably ready to attack in case we prove to be untrustworthy.

"Who are you?" Miss Potts is the one to ask the question in the end.

There are so many ways I can answer that, and have it be true. I could say Daisy Johnson, that's the name I was born, and it's as legal as it can be, even; I could say Skye, because that's still the name I chose, regarding of any changes and new revelations; Quake is who I am with my Secret Warriors… but I know, there is one name Pepper, and most of those before me in that moment will understand better, and it's still very much a part of me:

"I'm Genisys."

 **xXx**

Six hours later I'm still sitting on a chair outside of the facility's infirmary, almost lazily typing at the projected keyboard on my lap. Grant's in my room (and boy were some of those present shocked when learning I had a room!), sleeping; but I slept enough during the flights to and from Siberia, can't sleep anymore. So I wait for Cho or someone to give me news on Tony, while doing some work on my tablet.

AC gave my team a few days off to chill, before getting into Lola and driving to NY. By now May surely knows something is going on, she might even have an idea as to what, but she doesn't know just how tightly connected Tony, Phil and I are… there are things that connected that we've never told anyone about. Though at least some of them are likely to come out sooner rather than later. That's fine with me, I'm sure it's also fine with Phil, or he wouldn't have flown Lola all the way to north NY; as for Tony… he can decide how much to say of his part on his own time. We're still not leaving him. We made that mistake once, not doing it again!

"Genisys?" It's Rhodes who approaches me, on a wheelchair.

I've no doubt that, the moment he's up, Tony will be working on something to help him. I'm already pulling everything there already exists to help paraplegic people, so he might have a starting point, once he's ready.

"You're Skye, aren't you?" He presses a bit.

"That's me." I smile, turning my attention completely to him. "Col. Rhodes."

"Rhodey is fine." He assures me. "It's what all of Tony's friends call me."

"Skye, Genisys, either is fine on my end." I say in return.

"I've always wanted to ask, why Genisys?"

"Ever watched Terminator 5, Rhodey?" My smile is mischievous as I say that.

Rhodey just rolls his eyes, and that's pretty much the end of the conversation, at least for the time being. That's what we always tell people. That it's all about the movie. The code-phrase we chose, the whole 'Genisys is Skynet' even supports that theory. But then again, most people are not used to looking behind, and certainly not in the way he and I do. Always looking for what may be underneath the underneath, and even deeper yet.

During my first few conversations with JARVIS, before Tony became part of the equation, I once asked him if he was like Skynet of the Terminator movies, or like Jane in the Ender's Game books (I read those in St. Agnes, one of the nuns loved those books, and she'd let me borrow them whenever I was around; they were one of the few constants in my life). As it happened, he was neither, but had some characteristics from both, and a lot more. Apparently Tony found out about that particular conversation, for he took to teasing me with quotes and comments about those two. Then the latest movie came out…

Tony knows what I can do, and my greatest creation. It's almost an AI, almost but not quite, because I'm not ready to make it that, because I'm afraid that she might become dangerous, and because I like what I can do with her thus far. The way I can join with the program, and it's as if I suddenly became part of the web. It's just coding, in the end, but still. It's the true reason why Tony calls me Genisys. Because I'm Genisys, and I'm the potential to be more, like Skynet (but hopefully better). Genisys is who I am when I work in conjunction with that program. Maybe one day I'll finish it, make her a proper AI… if I do I certainly know what her name will be.

Cho finally exits the infirmary then. Tony is alive. Though it's a miracle, and it required 'extreme' measures. I know exactly what that means, though I can tell that Rhodey doesn't, so I just nod at Cho and say nothing about it. I know that, while officially Tony Stark found a way to 'cure' Extremis, that wasn't true at all. As FitzSimmons found out with Centipede, Extremis cannot be cured; it's genetic modification, and there's no turning back the clock on something like that. So, he didn't cure it, he stabilized it (which means that, unknown to most of the world, Miss Potts is a veritable superhero nowadays!).

I know he's been toying with the code in Extremis, considering using it in himself. Especially when he had that surgery to extract the shrapnel; but in the end he didn't, not wanting to worry Pepper (whom he was dating at the time). After seeing his state in Siberia I'm not surprised at all that he needed something like that to survive. I wonder what some will say when they find out… I certainly will always be on his side, and I'm sure so will Phil… always.

Knowing the danger was past, at least for the time being, I allowed myself to turn my whole attention to my coding. With a touch, the projected keyboard changed, into one that was nothing like most people would expect, even programmers. It was the keyboard I used when going into Genisys-mode, to allow me to connect better with the program, hack better and faster. Tony promised to create a better interface for me, one that might be able to sort-of read my thoughts, like they used for the high-end prosthesis. I was in no hurry.

And so, making sure that, even if something went wrong, no one would be able to track me, I slipped through all kind of firewalls, before taking over a very specific screen, on the other side of the world. Sending out my message:

"Greetings Your Majesty:" I knew my voice sounded robotic, that was on purpose. "Fear not, I have no ill-will against your people, or even against you. Even a good man can make a mistake, as you'll soon realize." With a quick command I send him the video-feed Grant recovered from Siberia, making it play on the screen with no sound as I keep talking. "Captain America is a great legend, but Steve Rogers… he's just a man, and not a very good one, as I'm sure you can see. If you ask him, he'll give you a dozen reasons for doing the things he's done, and they will all be summarized into a single one: Sgt. Barnes. He waged a war on the Avengers, and to a lesser degree, on the world, for a single man. He might have made it seem like it was about the Accords, but it was never about that. It was always about his friend. Now, I value loyalty as much as anyone else. What I don't value is someone destroying cities, destroying lives to protect one man who, had things been done as they were supposed to, would have never been in danger in the first place!" I take a deep breath, making myself focus. "Your father was a good man, your Majesty. I had a lot of respect for him. He knew the Accords weren't perfect, that there would be mistakes, but he believed those mistakes could be corrected. That all of us together, we could make things work right, for everyone. Do you believe that too? Do you believe in accountability, in answering for our choices, our actions? Or are you another who believes the 'best hands are his own', like Rogers does?"

"Are you threatening me miss?" He demands.

I'm not surprised he knows I'm a woman, that's telling enough in my voice, even robotic as it is. I also know that, whoever he might have on his end, they haven't managed to so much as catch a trace of me just yet. Still, I'm running out of time if I want to get out without them being able to track me back, or worse, catch me in place.

"Not at all." I respond right away. "Like I said before, I've nothing against you and your people. I do have a bone to pick on with those who dare hurt those I care for, though. The ex-Avengers you currently harbor, they're not the victims in this story. Mislead or not, they betrayed a man who gave them everything: food, drink, clothes, technology, who opened his home to them… they betrayed him without a second thought. And lets not go into what Steve Rogers did!"

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, at least not right now. When the time comes you'll release the ex-Avengers into UN custody. Not because I tell you to, but because you know it's the right thing to do. And once you look at recent events from all points of view, I'm sure you'll realize it. No, this communication is not about threatening, or making demands. It's about showing you what you might be missing. It's about making sure you don't buy into what the press say, what most of the world believes. Reality is much more complex than anyone's version of a story will tell us." In the screen I know the image is Tony as Grant and I found him, unconscious and seemingly dead. "Keep yourself and your people safe, Your Majesty. We wouldn't want you to be the next one to end up wounded and left for dead somewhere."

"Is Stark alright?"

"He will be, eventually. Thanks to those who truly care about him; his real friends… his family."

"Like you."

I don't answer, I gotta get back, my time is running out. And I'm sure he knows that.

"Who are you?" He asks finally. "What can I call you?"

"You can call me Genisys, your Majesty. And we'll be in touch."

With one more command I slip back. King T'Challa's computer screen, all the way in Wakanda, going back to what it had been showing before I hacked in. I take the long way around. Making sure to lose whatever electronic tracking they might be trying to use on me, erasing my virtual footprints, and laying fake ones as necessary. Then, once I'm completely sure I'm safe, I let go of the program, returning to reality.

So, that was just the groundwork. One day I'll make the traitors pay, we all will. Because Tony Stark is family, and we always protect family.

* * *

I know there are a lot of flashbacks, but it was the way things worked out this time. Hope that's alright with you.

I don't have anything against T'Challa. I like him, only, I think he doesn't reason things too much sometimes. Then again, like I said before, canon will make CA a hero (almost a martyr) so he'll end up okay. In this... he deserved to have someone set him straight. Make him see that he's made the wrong choice and why.

Like I said before, second half coming next week. Please don't forget to review. I'm dying to know what you all think!


	2. Part 2

So, here's the second and last part.

Just to clarify a few things. When I started writing this, I was Team Iron Man; to the point that I downright hated Cap and all his team. Now... I'm still Team Iron Man, but I no longer hate the other side. Apparently they'll turn out to be right! I don't quite agree. Tony might not have realized (or didn't want to believe) how wrong things would go with the Accords, doesn't mean he was wrong when saying they were necessary. I try to express that opinion through Skye in this one.

There's more I'd have liked to write for this, but I couldn't get my head around it. So I decided to leave it as is.

Also, as far as AoS is concerned. Season 1 happened exactly the same. S2 had changes as has been already explained; with more changes at the ending which will be mentioned in this chapter. S3... only the very basics took place, with the obvious changes that have already been mentioned (Grant only went to HYDRA to take down the Malicks and whoever else might have been left, Phil and Skye never stopped trusting each other, etc). Also, I did something with 'Daisy' I hope you like it, or at least don't hate it.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

 **Part 2**

It was messy, and terrible, in ways I will never be able to fully explain. The coming of Thanos… Tony knew he was coming, that he had an army with numbers that most of us would be unable to comprehend. He tried to warn many people, but they refused to believe him. In the end it came down to family. But that was alright, because we are not any kind of family. We're the kind that does things right. We aren't really family by blood, but we're by choice, and in my book, that's even more important…

 _I first met Phil Coulson in early July of 2010. Happy dropped me at the mansion's doors after picking me up from the airport, warning me that his boss hadn't returned yet. Phil was there already, apparently waiting on him._

" _Who are you Miss?" He asked, looking at me carefully._

" _Sue." I asked without quite thinking about it._

 _It was my strategy-of-sorts. The people who knew me I allowed to call me Skye, the name I'd chosen; those that either had known me when I was still in St. Agnes, or with whom I felt I was better acting like I should have when I was that lost little girl, I used the name Mary with them; and with those that made me want to be defiant, I was Sue. Of course that was something that only really made sense to me, but that was okay._

" _Mr. Stark isn't here." Phil pointed out._

" _I know." I nodded._

" _I told her." Happy announced, stepping into the room, having parked the car, he turned to me then. "The room's ready. It's the same as last time."_

 _I thanked him and left, feeling Phil's eyes on my back the whole way._

 _It was until the next day, when we met in the kitchen for breakfast that I learned his name, and the fact that he was an Agent of SHIELD._

" _Well, if you ever need a little hacking-help, give me a call." I offered with a wink._

" _But darling, I thought what we had was special!" Tony's words, said in the most dramatic, and almost obnoxious tone ever, announced his arrival (they also kept Phil from saying whatever he might have been thinking at the time)._

 _I stayed about three months in Malibu. At the end of July (the first of those months) Tony somehow managed to convince both Phil and I to go to Portland with him, where the Philarmonic Orchestra was giving a concert. Tony's interest was due to the fact that the new first cello was a childhood friend of his: Audrey Nathan._

 _I learned a lot about Tony in those days, as did Phil, I'm sure. Audrey and Tony were such close friends since childhood, because she'd been a student of his mother's, a professional musician. Audrey had been her last student before the accident that killed her, when Tony was 21. All along Tony had done his best to be there for Audrey, she was as good as family to him. Also, Tony himself knew how to play many instruments, the cello included, and did it well; he had never done it professionally because for him playing was a very personal, intimate thing._

 _I only heard him play once, near the end of my stay in Malibu. It was a rendition of a song called 'Nothing Else Matters'. I understood then why Tony said playing was intimate to him, there was something about the way he lost himself in the music, I'd only seen it in his workshop; and then, halfway through the song, he raised his head, and while he never hesitated in his playing, his hyper-focus turned elsewhere. His eyes took my breath away, even when it wasn't me he was looking at in that moment._

 _The next morning, both he and Phil were late for breakfast. Even as I left I was so sure something had to have happened between then. Then, in December, I saw the news, Tony was dating Pepper. I hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. Considered the news being nothing more than gossip, until I came across the two of them one day, they were hand in hand, having dinner at a small but very good restaurant. A part of me wondered what had gone wrong, I couldn't have possibly misread the expression in Tony's eyes as he stared at Phil, could I?_

 _Tony and I kept meeting every so often through the following months, close to two years. I was happy for him and Pepper (had eventually decided to push aside my confusion at what might or might not have happened that night in Malibu). Then the alien invasion to NY happened…_

 _It was Tony who gave me the news that Phil was dead, I couldn't believe it. Not because I didn't believe him capable of doing exactly what he did that got him killed; but because Phil was the kind of man I didn't imagine could possibly die. Like he had to be immortal somehow, except he wasn't. I wasn't exactly mourning him, it's not like we'd been friends, we were acquaintances, if that. But Tony was mourning, and for some reason kept trying to hide it, and I didn't understand. I didn't like it, not understanding, not being able to help._

 _Tried to help Tony with his PTSD, didn't work out. We had our worst fight to date and I ended walking away, for more than six months. The next time we saw each other was in January of 2013, as he lay in bed, recovering from his recent surgery. Pepper was in 'seclusion' (sort-of) learning to fully control herself and her changes. I made sure to hack everything that was in any way connected to Aldrich Killian and handed it over, in case it might prove useful. Not that I didn't believe Tony capable of doing it himself, I just wanted to be useful._

" _You sure you wouldn't rather stay?" Tony asked me as I prepared to leave, almost a month later._

" _What?" I wasn't expecting that._

" _You have a room here." He announced, somewhat flippantly. "A whole floor actually. It's fully furnished and equipped, only missing decorations. Though you need only pick colors and maybe patterns, we could get it done in two, three days tops."_

" _Tony..." I had no idea what to say to that._

" _You're under no obligation of course." He said immediately, almost sheepishly. "I just… you are my friend Skye, one of the few I have."_

" _You're my friend too Tony." I assured him, kissing his brow tenderly. "One day, I promise just… not today. I don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet."_

 _He smiled. And I knew it wasn't at my leaving, but at the hope that one day I wouldn't. I promised myself that whatever it was that made me keep moving around, I would do my best to get it out of my system soon, then I'd move into the tower. Who knew? Perhaps I might even get an actual job for once!_

 _Of course, man plans and god laughs, as the saying goes. I happened to be in LA some six, seven months later, when the 'hooded hero' dropped out of a burning flat and onto the middle of the street, and unconscious redhead in his arms. My life changed completely after that day._

 _When I saw none other than Phil Coulson standing there, in his usual suit and with his same look of 'pretending to be perfectly harmless' when he was anything but, I could only stare. The shock was so great I didn't put up any resistance and he and the second suit managed to put a bag over my head and take me away._

 _A lot happened in the next couple of days, and my head never once stopped reeling. And it wasn't just Mike, and Centipede but… Phil was there, he was alive, and he apparently didn't recognize me! Granted, my hair had been black, my clothes in a completely different style (beanie included) and I'd been going by Sue at the time we met in person, but still! I wasn't that forgettable, was I?_

 _When the whole 'TAHITI' thing was revealed… it actually explained a number of things. I still hadn't the slightest idea of how I was supposed to deal with things. I couldn't keep his being alive secret from Tony forever. But how to explain to him that Phil was alive, but something apparently wasn't right with his head? And how was I to explain that to Phil? Centipede, and Raina and the Clairvoyant actually kept us pretty busy for a good time, so I kept putting it off… and then HYDRA was revealed, and SHIELD fell._

 _I waited until it was all over. Until we'd dealt with Garrett, gotten Ward, Fitz was being seen to, and Simmons was with him, waited until May locked herself into her new bunk and Koenig got very busy seeing to… whatever it was he had to do in our new super-secret base; then I went straight to our new Director's office. Making sure to lock the door the moment I was inside._

" _We need to talk." I announced as soon as I was inside._

" _Sounds ominous." He quipped, trying for levity, and failing entirely._

" _July 7_ _th_ _, 2010, what do you remember from that day?" I questioned._

" _Hmm..." He actually seemed to stop and ponder the question. "It was a normal day. Nothing special. Went to the office, did the same as always. Why are you interested in that day?"_

" _Because you didn't go to the office." I explained with a sigh. "That was the day we met Phil. In Malibu, California. In Tony's living room."_

" _What?!" He clearly wasn't expecting that. "No, that's not possible, I..."_

" _Tell me something, how did you meet Audrey Nathan?"_

" _She was being harassed by Daniels, SHIELD sent me, I helped her. You know this already Skye, we've talked about this before."_

" _You met Audrey in late July of 2010. Tony introduced her to us, she's his childhood friend. He took us to Portland to a concert of the Orchestra where she'd just become first cello."_

" _That's not possible."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because I don't remember any of that!"_

 _But I was ready for that, for his denials, I pulled out my laptop and turned it around, showing him a video I'd taken that night, of Audrey performing a solo; halfway through the song the video changed focus, showing Tony and Phil, both close to the edge of their seats, completely lost in the melody being played._

" _I don't… I don't remember that." Phil murmured, very softly._

" _I know you don't." I nodded._

" _I don't remember you either." He added._

" _Know that too." I nodded again. "To be fair, I was in a sort-of goth phase at the time and going by Sue. The middle-name the nuns at St. Agnes gave me."_

" _Why don't I remember any of that?"_

" _I have no idea." I admitted softly. "But I will find out, I promise." I took a deep breath. "Only… I really, really think you need to talk to Tony, and maybe the other Avengers. From what I know they all took your death pretty hard, but Tony… I know it doesn't always seem like it, but he cares. He probably wouldn't admit it, if you were to ask him, but you were his friend Phil, and losing you, it affected him. He deserves to know you're alive."_

 _It was obvious Phil didn't quite believe me, but he still nodded. So, having done what I'd done there to do, and with my new self-imposed mission (finding out why and how Phil had forgotten all he had), I made to leave._

" _I have an offer for you." Phil said unexpectedly._

" _What…?" I turned back, confused._

" _I wasn't planning on naming a Deputy." He explained. "Our numbers are small enough I can handle things, and May has already promised to help me deal with the paperwork. But after what you just showed me… it's clear that there's something not completely right with me. If things get worse, if I ever become a liability, to this team, to SHIELD, I need to know there will be someone ready to handle things." He must have seen something in my eyes, for he immediately went on. "I need someone I can trust. And dear as Melinda might be to me… she knew about TAHITI and never said a thing. She didn't trust me, I cannot forget that. I trust you Skye, completely. Will you be my second?"_

 _Later on he explained to me that while he'd filled all the forms, we wouldn't be making any official announcements. I'd get the clearance, and he'd justify it with the fact that he'd already been thinking of doing away with the levels. People would only find out the truth about my rank if something ever happened to him, or if I needed to call on that authority during an emergency._

 _Two days later, I was the first person he called, he showed me the wall he'd spent the whole night carving into. And this began a whole new adventure (mess) for us all._

 _It took us quite a while to get things together enough to call Tony. First with Ward being in Vault D (and all of us, myself included, so angry with him), then there was his escape, the mess with HYDRA, Raina, my father, San Juan (while running down there I couldn't help but wonder, briefly, if I'd ever get to talk to Tony again, to apologize for not getting in touch with him in so long…). Then there were my powers, Gordon, Afterlife, the 'Real' SHIELD. And I knew Tony had his own mess to deal with, after Ultron and Sokovia._

 _I also believe that AC didn't want to make that call when there was still a chance that he might go crazy, or worse, with that thing in his blood. And once that danger was past… well, everything else happened. Still, I made sure that we both got to it the moment I was sure the sky wouldn't fall down on us or something._

 _I will never forget how that particular conversation went._

" _Hey Tony." We were locked inside my bunk (it was more secure than AC's office, really), though Phil was staying off my phone's camera's line of sight for the time being._

" _Hey! My favorite gal!" He called brightly. "Where have you been?"_

" _That's a bit of a long story." I admitted with a sigh. "It's been a long two years Tony..."_

" _You don't visit, you don't call, I thought you had forgotten about me!" He went for joke, but I could tell the underlying sadness in his eyes._

" _I wanted to call you I just… things have been complicated. And I'm not just saying that, I promise you. I… I had no idea how to even begin to explain things to you."_

" _How to explain what? I've no idea what you're talking about Skye."_

" _She's talking about me." Phil announced, stepping behind me._

 _I let out a sigh, I just knew Tony wasn't going to take that well, at all. I was right._

" _JARVIS!" Tony yelled immediately. "Trace this call! We need to find Skye and..."_

" _I don't need rescuing Tony." I cut him off. "I'm perfectly safe. Yes, this is Phil. Yes, he's alive. I know that is insane. I know you might not be ready to believe it. And before your mind runs away from you. We… I did not keep it from you because I didn't trust you but because I had no idea what was going on. I needed to be sure that he was alright, that whatever they'd done to him wouldn't go wrong at some point. That if he came back into your life, he wouldn't hurt you."_

" _It wasn't your responsibility..." Tony and Phil began, practically at the same time._

 _I could have laughed at them._

" _It'd have been if I'd been the one to put you back in touch with each other." I pointed out, looking at Phil over my shoulder. "With the hell the GH325 has been giving us, all the things you still don't remember."_

" _What doesn't he remember?" Tony demanded._

 _And so we explained things to him. I'm sure I didn't hallucinate the pained look in Tony's eyes regarding everything Phil had forgotten._

" _Does anyone else know?" Tony asked eventually._

" _Aside from my team, Fury, Hill, and a few people at SHIELD, half of who turned out to be HYDRA, most of who are now dead? No one." Phil answered with his usual deadpan expression._

" _Your boy didn't tell me anything about this Skye!" Tony yelled at me._

" _Why would he have told you anything? Before I sent him to you Grant didn't even know that you and I knew each other." I pointed out. "He's no idea that you and Phil know each other, aside from the basics, with him being SHIELD and you being Iron Man."_

" _Right." He nodded. "We need to arrange a meeting. An in-person meeting."_

" _Why?" Phil didn't understand, though to me it seemed pretty obvious._

" _Because I won't believe any of this until I see you face to face." Tony answered, dead-honest._

 _So we arranged for a meeting. We were already planning on going out, to see Cal, make sure he'd settled alright after going through the TAHITI protocol himself. We could easily take a little longer and arrange a visit with Tony somewhere private (and Grant, by that point I'd accepted that I loved him, completely, and I really needed to see him again)._

 _I don't know how Phil managed to get Tony to open up, about Sokovia, and Ultron, and all that somehow lead to that point. The Avengers had failed him, but we wouldn't. And so we became his Plan B for dealing with the threat we all knew was coming…_

After rescuing Tony from Siberia (and sending that message to King T'Challa) we stayed in NY. At first it was supposed to be something temporary. Until Tony came out of surgery, until he made full recovery, until we knew he'd be alright… we just kept finding excuses to extend the deadline, time and again. Until we just had to accept we weren't leaving. Then we decided to take it one step further.

The Avengers were decimated in the aftermath of the so-called Civil War. I had no doubt that Tony would find a way to make Col. Rhodes walk again. But Spider-Man wasn't ready to be an Avenger, Vision was depressed (I didn't even know he could get depressed) and Tony was busy handling the Accords. So I decided it was time to step up.

 _Everyone came out from whatever room they usually hid in upon our arrival. We were all in casual clothes, except for the matching leather jackets each which had, somewhere on it, the symbol for the Secret Warriors. It was Joey's idea, to show our unity even when we weren't on a mission and we all liked it._

" _Who are you all guys?" Rhodey asked, rolling to us confused._

" _This is my team." I announced, proudly. "You already know Grant. Then there's Lincoln, Alisha, Joey and Elena. We're the Secret Warriors."_

" _You all have powers?" Peter asked, approaching, curious._

 _For all answer Elena flash-stepped to him, poked him and then got back. Peter actually squeaked a bit, making us all laugh._

" _This is awesome!" He cried out, delighted._

" _Who started a party and why was I not invited?" Tony called loudly as he stepped out._

" _Tony Stark!" I called, very seriously, knowing that would make him snap to attention. "Consider this your invitation." That certainly through him for a loop. "Welcome to the Secret Warriors."_

 _In a heartbeat Elena had gone and gotten his jacket. Then returned. His had, aside from the SW symbol, a design allusive to his own Iron Man armor. All our jackets had personalized designs (Grant knew someone who made personalized leather jackets and gave him a good price), though none was quite as obvious as his._

" _Are you sure about this?" He asked me quietly._

 _I hadn't asked him if he wanted to join, because I knew he would, yet would never admit it. Was doing him a favor, taking the choice out of his hands. I'd also purposefully used his name, no 'Not Recommended' shit from us. I knew who he was and I wanted all of him on my team. I also believed we would be able to give him what he needed, the team he dreamed of having when the Avengers were formed. They always kept him at arms-length. Never allowing him to truly belong. We'd never do that. We were more than a team, we were a family. It didn't even matter if he wasn't inhuman. Mike Peterson wasn't inhuman either, but he was set to join our team once he returned from his family vacation._

" _Yes." We all stated in unison._

 _And so we came to stay at the Avengers Compound. We began all training together right away. Officially I was the leader, with Grant as my second; but everyone knew that if Tony ever gave an order it was to be followed without hesitation. We understood that he was a genius in every sense of the word, and if he wanted one of us to do something it was for a good reason, so there was never any doubting, or posturing, or fights for dominance._

 _At the same time I stepped up as leader of the Inhumans, joining Tony in finding ways to make the Accords better, safer for everyone, both human and gifted._

We did all we could to prepare for the upcoming battle. As soon as we were sure the Accords were good enough (and Tony had gotten Ross behind bars, for good) we were on the move. Phil moved his contacts in the government, enough to grant SI and several other companies, working together, the authorization and part of the funds needed to build a defense system for the planet. Meanwhile my Warriors and I took to recruiting. Not for our team, but to make sure that as much of the world would have people willing and ready to defend it, if it came down to it.

I cannot be sure when exactly Tony and Phil got their act together. At times it seems like it's just happened, the way they act with each other, like everything is so new for them. And then there are the times when they just stared at one another, and there's a history behind their eyes, like they've been in love forever… It's an odd dichotomy. It makes me want to go to Grant and hold him in my arms and never let him go.

So much happened to those two, so many bad things, and somehow they still managed to find their way to each other. They're an example that love exists, even if it may seem impossible. I've promised myself that, no matter what happens, I will make sure they don't lose that again, no one will hurt either of them ever again. I will make sure of it. They're my family after all, more than anyone else, except maybe Grant. They were even before I got my new name!

"Miss." FRIDAY calls to me. "The Avengers are here."

Yes, they're Avengers now/again. They laid claim to that name when the battle began. I wonder if they expected that doing so would automatically group them with those they betrayed? Or maybe they are petty enough that they thought to do it as a way or 'punishing' the one they insist on claiming betrayed them? It doesn't matter. They may be Avengers, but to us they're nothing. We are Secret Warriors and that's what truly matters.

Still, they're on their way to be a problem, and thus I have to deal with it. Don't want to bother Tony and Phil, they're still celebrating the victory…

"Where is Stark?"

Rogers being at the front of that group, making demands doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The way at least half of his (remaining) teammates hang back, not quite looking at me, does.

"What do you want?" I ask, standing straight, arms crossed.

I'm not wearing my tactical clothes in that moment, though I am wearing my gloves. Tony working with FitzSimmons managed to create a 'softer' version of the gauntlets I use in battle. They absorb my power when I don't want to use it and am having trouble controlling my emotions. Usually that wouldn't happen much, not anymore, but during the battle I used my powers a lot, so they're closer to the surface than they used to be. I just need to find my balance once again (which won't happen with the Avengers bothering us!).

"I want to talk to Stark!" Rogers demands. "He owes us a few apologies, and he will give them. No more hiding behind his robots and a bunch of children..."

"Puh-lease!" I scoff. "Children? I know you like considering people under thirty children, but we're not. Then again, wouldn't that make you a child?"

I'm provoking him, and I know it, but I don't care. He hurt my family! He won't get away with that. The moment he gets too close I uncross my arms, readying myself for a fight.

"Miss, we don't want to fight..." Scott Logan, standing behind and to his right, where someone else used to, calls out.

"Don't you?" I ask testily, looking straight at Rogers.

"We will go in..." Rogers begins.

"No, you won´t!" I snap.

The moment he puts a hand on me, I snap, two fingers on his wrist, and then I let go. Not completely. I'm quite certain that not even a super-soldier would be able to handle me going all out (there are some who believe I may have the power to 'quake' the very Earth apart, if I ever have the inclination… not that I'd ever do it. I want to protect people, not hurt them).

Rogers hisses, pulling back instantly, I'm quite sure he must have gotten at least a fissure, not that it'll last long, but he now knows I'm not playing games.

"Like I said." I state stoically. "You wanna talk to a Stark, you talk to me. You should realize how lucky you are, since I'm the only one who's willing to even look at you." I stare daggers at him. "If you try to force your way in Iron Soul is liable to blow you up where you stand, and if that were to fail… well, FRIDAY has complete control over the Compound's defenses, and we have a lot of those, considering that all non-fighters in our families took refuge here during the battle."

It looks like Rogers is about to start ranting, again, when Romanoff shifts her stance.

"You're a Stark?" She narrows her eyes at me, like she cannot believe that's possible, that there can be another Stark and she not know.

As I stand back, standing tall and in my best pose, my smile is predatory:

"I am Skylar Genisys Stark."

" _What do you mean that you'll make me a Stark?" I was completely shocked. "I'm not a Stark. Or a minor. You cannot adopt me Tony!"_

" _I don't have an heir, thanks to the fucking palladium poisoning I will never an heir… not of my blood at least." Tony explained, way more serious than he usually was. "There are two kids… their mother is dying, cancer. Arrangements have been made, their mother is getting the best care money can buy. I cannot keep her alive, but I can make sure that what time she has left she'll be comfortable, and she'll never worry for her children again. When the time comes they'll become my charges. The boy… we've all talked with him already, he's a mechanical genius, R &D will become his, if he wants it, eventually. His sister… she can have whatever she wishes. They all changed their names already, had no interest in keeping that of the coward who abandoned them years ago." He sneered at the mere thought of the man. "Harley… he's a wonder, truly." _

" _That doesn't explain why you want me."_

" _Well, I could be logical and tell you that it's convenient. If something happens to me before Harley turns eighteen, they will need someone who can take care of him and Tessa. And if something happens to Pep before he turns 21, someone will need to take over SI." He let out a breath. "But this isn't about practicalities, and I'm sure we both know that. Skye… we're shit at feelings, both of us. But I've no doubt that I'm not the only one who considers the other family."_

 _He was right about that._

" _I know you have even more family issues than I do, I just..." He ran a hand through his head. "If we were normal people it wouldn't matter. We could call each other family and have that be enough. But we're not normal people. And while just saying might be enough for us, doing it legally, it can do more, for both of us. I may not be able to give you the past, the childhood you deserve, but I can make sure you'll never want for anything, ever. That if anything were to happen to me, your future will be assured. And most important, I want to give all that to you, give you a home, a place to belong… a family…"_

" _You gave me all that years ago." I assured him, so softly, barely able to hold back my tears._

" _So… Daisy Stark?" He offered._

 _Of course he knew what my legal name was. But, truth be told, when I decided to make that my legal name, I hadn't been thinking clearly. With everything that happened in Afterlife, with Raina and my birth-parents, and the so-called real SHIELD. I wanted… needed… a place to belong, something to hold onto. And I decided that the name I was given upon my birth was the thing. As if calling myself that would somehow make things better. Not only it didn't do that, but I at some point realized that, not only I hadn't gained anything, I was losing. Losing the person I had been, losing Skye… I didn't like that._

" _No." I shook my head. "I think I'm done with being Daisy. Done with holding onto the name of a stolen baby girl, as if that will somehow make me the person I was supposed to be. I'm not that girl, I'll never be that girl. And that's okay." I took a deep breath. "I used to be so proud of the person I chose to be. Of Skye… I think I need to do that again."_

" _Skye Stark?" He proposed then._

" _Genisys..." The codename slipped through my lips without me even thinking about it._

 _I no longer cared for being Daisy Johnson. I was Quake when with my Secret Warriors. But there was one other name. It could never be my code-name, I was already Quake, but the name was still mine. And I was almost as proud of it, as I was of being Skye._

" _Skylar Genisys Stark." I decided._

I wonder, if when Tony and Phil finally get around marrying each other, will Harley, Tessa and I have to change our names again? Or maybe Phil can just join us being a Stark? Not like it matters in the grand scheme of things, my mind just tends to wander.

"You're Stark's daughter?!" Several of the newcomers demand.

"Why the hell didn't we know that?" Barton practically snarls.

"Oh… you mean like everyone knew about your wife and children?" I question in a sing-song manner. "Except, that may not be the best comparison, seeing how we're still a family, and you on the other hand…"

I know, even before I finish saying the words, that I've touched a nerve (or more like stomped on it). He pulls out a gun and shoots before any of his companions can utter a single word (cannot use a bow when his arm was shattered in the fight), not like I think they care at all. I don't mind either, it doesn't take more than a thought for me to divert the bullet. It's turned to cinders before it ever touches the ground, and a moment later, we're surrounded, my whole team around us.

We're not all whole. Lincoln is dead, at some point he focused more on the injured than on really fighting, died protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, not due to an actual injury, but he used his powers so much that his body eventually just gave up on him. Mike is in the infirmary, he was badly hurt, very badly, only survived due to his enhancements. Though he lost a leg, Tony already promised him a new one as soon as he's ready for it. Alisha is in a coma, after losing more than half of her doubles during the fight. We know she'll recover, but it'll take a while. Joey is alive but he's gone, left as soon as we were sure Thanos was gone and not coming back. The whole thing traumatized him so badly, he just doesn't want to fight ever again.

Still, the rest of the team is there: Grant, Elena, Vision, Peter and Harley are all there, in their civilian forms, but making no secret of their powers. The more human members of our group: Bobbi, Lance, Mack, May and even Pepper (well, she's not exactly-fully-human anymore… but still); are just behind them, weapons at the ready. Even Dr. Banner, Loki, Brunhilde, Thor, Jane, Darcy and the Guardians have approached, though they stay by the Compound's door, standing guard but choosing not to get involved. While they fought with us, and they all respect us (and my family), they recognize they're not really part of our team.

"Tony Stark must receive us, he owes us that much." Rogers insists.

"Dad owes you nothing!" Harley practically roars.

While I might not feel comfortable calling Tony something like that (even if I do call both him and Phil family), Tessa and Harley have no compunction about it. Harley especially seems to take great delight in using that title to refer to him. Just as he takes pride in being Iron Soul.

"What…?" That throws all the Avengers for a loop.

"He's an Avenger, he will see us." Natasha demands.

I cannot help it, I laugh, as do almost all on my side of things.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Scott demanded.

"Oh Scott, Scott…" A new voice calls.

I'm not surprised at all when Hope (in the Wasp suit) is on my left side, a few feet away.

"Hope!" Scott's smile is so great… until he realizes she's glaring at him. "What's wrong? Why are you on their side?"

"Haven't you realized it yet Scott?" She asks with a slight roll of her eyes. "You chose the wrong side, again. This time you might not end up going to prison, the world is still thankful enough for being saved. But you certainly won't be having a lot of fans, or people willing to work or even be around you outside your little group."

"I don't understand." Scott admits quietly. "We're Avengers, we saved the world."

Again, laughter.

"The Avengers fought to save the world, yes, as did dozens of other teams around the world, both of gifted and baseline humans." May states, approaching. "You did your part, but you didn't save the world. Everyone did."

"Oh, and just so we're clear." I add. "Tony's not an Avenger. He's not on your team. Hasn't been since you all betrayed him."

"We didn't betray him… he betrayed us!" Clint retorts.

"You betrayed him when you thought you knew better than 117 nations." May hisses. "When you thought you had the right to make all the decisions, simply because you have power. When you had the gall to tell those same 117 nations that they didn't have the right to demand accountability from you!"

"The Accords were wrong." Rogers begins.

"The Accords weren't perfect." I correct. "But that's been fixed. That you might have been right about the danger such a document represented, doesn't automatically mean that Tony was wrong in saying something like that was needed. It was, and if even now you cannot see it, cannot see that people, civilians, deserve to feel safe, to feel that the heroes are truly here to protect them, not to hurt them. That we're human, we may make mistakes, but we will make things right, or as right as we can… then I've no idea what to say to you."

If he still doesn't see it (cannot see it, rather than him just being in denial), then I'll really worry about him, about what it means for us all. We've just defeated an insane warlord looking not to conquer the universe but to downright destroy it, the last thing we need is a sociopathic Captain America putting the world in danger next time.

"Who are you anyway?" Barnes, with only one arm yet again.

He had a new metal arm during the battle; something tells me it must not have been that great, if he no longer had it. Either it was destroyed during the fight, or it just wasn't a good fit for him. Wouldn't surprise me if, along with demanding ridiculous apologies, the so-called Avengers were here to insist that Tony make an arm for him. Probably using some kind of excuse like Tony was the one who destroyed his old one…

"We're the Secret Warriors."

We don't time it, don't even look at each other, but somehow we still manage to speak almost completely in sync. Makes our declarations sound all the more powerful, somehow.

There is no response to that, and I know why. Everyone in the world knows who the Secret Warriors are. It's hard not to, we were the ones in Ground Zero. Where the biggest battle took place. And not just that; Grant, Tony and I took on Thanos himself, while the rest of the team handled his lieutenants.

It was insane, nearly killed us all. At the same time it has allowed for Inhumans to be considered more than just threats. We're all heroes or potential heroes nowadays. It might not be perfect, but things are better than they were when the Outbreak hit, and that's enough for now. The Watchdogs are gone, and there are no more talks about Inhumans having to register themselves; only if they wish to be 'superheroes', and even then their civilian identities will be kept confidential, their privacy respected. Yeah, things are much better than they were just two years ago.

"So you see Cap." I inject just enough sarcasm in the last word as I say it. "We don't need you, Tony doesn't need you. He already has a team, and what's more, he has a family. People who care about him, who will not betray him. Who will not leave him behind in a cold, abandoned bunker, trapped in a dead suit, after crushing half his rib-cage with a vibranium shield..."

The horror that statement is received with, from the Avengers themselves, tells me Rogers never told them what happened. Captain America lied to his own team! Why does that not surprise me?

"You're not welcome here." I state simply. "You will never be welcome here. Leave."

They do. It surprises me actually. I expected more of a fight. Then again, they're probably too shocked for the time being, doesn't mean they won't return eventually. Still, we're not going anywhere. If they try it again, we'll be ready.

I have no idea what the Avengers might be planning on doing. Do they even have a place to go? It's not like I care actually, but I do feel bad about the people they might try to bother in order to get something, anything. Like Hope said, no one is going to be in any hurry to help them (and not just Scott, the same is true for all of them). It's all on them really, they made their choices, now they have to live with the consequences.

When I finally turn around I realize who else is standing just inside the doors of the Compound. With so many of us all around I managed to miss their vibrations, somehow. It's Tony and Phil.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Tony comments quietly.

"Yes, I did." I answer immediately. "You're family. I will keep my family safe, always."

"Well, lunch is ready if anyone's interested." Darcy offers, already en-route to the kitchen.

That gets everyone moving. Really, there's absolutely nothing that can get everyone moving as fast as the offer of food. Especially the food Darcy cooks when she's feeling inspired. That girl should have been a chef rather than poli-sci…

We all take our seats in the big dinning-room table. Tony and Phil both purposefully pass by me on their way to their seats at the head of the table; the former pulling at one of my bangs almost childishly, while the latter lays a hand on my shoulder briefly. For most it might not be much, for me it's a reminder that they love me as much as I love them. That we truly are family.

"Everything alright love?" Grant asks softly, taking a seat beside me.

"Everything's perfect." I respond automatically.

And it is, it really is…

* * *

For those wondering. I imagine that something did happen between Tony and Phil the day Tony played the cello. They kissed, maybe even slept together. But in the end Phil was still a SHIELD Agent, and Tony was... Tony. They weren't ready for 'Them' in that moment. So they parted ways. I also believe that Phil might have been holding so hard onto memories of Tony when he died, and during all his suffering as they brought him back, that when they took away the memories of that suffering, those other memories went as well. It's how I explain him not remembering Tony. Also, because of the 'cello' thing, all his feeling for Tony were grouped with those he had for Audrey.

Sorry for the deaths. But if it was war... it had to happen. You might have noticed I implied deaths on the side of the Avengers too. Even if I was never too specific. Clue? Consider who never spoke during that exchange.

Also, in the end Skye didn't do much against them. But I decided she'd see it as simply not being important anymore.

Please don't forget to review. Thank you!


End file.
